Objective:To evaluate the effects of the consumption of energy drinks on cardiovascular parameters in a group of healthy young individuals.Methods:In a quasi-experimental study, 44 healthy adult participants aged between 15 and 30 years were evaluated. The blood pressure (BP) as well as electrocardiographic indices, including heart rate (HR), PR interval, QRS duration, corrected QT (QTc) interval, and ST-T changes were recorded before consumption of a caffeine-containing energy drink and at the specific time points over a 4-h test duration.Results:We found statistically significant HR decline (p=0.004) and more frequent ST-T changes (p=0.004) after the participants consumed the energy drink. However, readings for systolic BP (p=0.44), diastolic BP (p=0.26), PR interval (p=0.449), QRS duration (p=0.235), and QTc interval (p=0.953) showed no significant change post-consumption.Conclusion:In conclusion, we demonstrated that the consumption of energy drinks could contribute to HR decline and ST-T change in healthy young adults.
We use free-standing TiO2 nanotube membranes that are transferred onto FTO slides in front-side illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We investigate the key parameters for solar cell arrangement of self-ordered anodic TiO2 nanotube layers on the FTO substrate, namely the influence of the annealing procedure on the DSSC light conversion efficiency. The results show that using an optimal temperature annealing profile can significantly enhance the DSSC efficiency (in our case η = 9.8%), as it leads to a markedly lower density of trapping states in the tube oxide, and thus to strongly improved electron transport properties.
In the present study, we examined a choline chloride−ethylene glycol (ChCl−EG) deep eutectic solvent (DES) mixed with different iodide salts as electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by experiment and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The photovoltaic performance of DES-based DSSCs revealed that solar cells with an inorganic iodide source show higher performance than cells with an organic iodide source. In this case, the influence of potassium (K + ) and 1-etyl-3-methylimidazolium (Emim + ) counterions on the DSSC performance in DES-based electrolytes was studied. The photovoltaic and electrochemical properties revealed that the presence of KI salt in the electrolyte solution considerably enhances the DSSC efficiency. In this way, the effect of iodide sources on the viscosity, conductivity, and impedance spectra of DES electrolytes was investigated. Additionally, MD simulations of the TiO 2 /DES electrolyte and Pt/DES electrolyte interfaces suggest that K + cations cover the surface of anatase TiO 2 . Furthermore, the dynamics of iodide anions in the KI system was found to be higher than that of K + cations. The diffusion coefficient of K + in the DES was found to be systematically lower compared to that of Emim + due to the higher coordination of K + ions with chloride ions and EG molecules.
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article:High-temperature annealing of TiO2 nanotube membranes for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells,
A B S T R A C TWe fabricate photo-anodes by transferring anodic TiO 2 nanotube membranes in tube-top-down configuration on FTO glass, and use them for constructing frontside illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells. Prior to solar cell construction, the tube-based photo-anodes are crystallized at different temperatures (400-800°C), and the effects of tube electron transport properties on the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells are investigated. We show that improved solar cell efficiencies (up to ca. 8.0%) can be reached by high-temperature treatment of the tube membranes. Consistently with electron transport time measurements, remarkably enhanced electron mobility is enabled when tube membranes are crystallized at 600°C.
In the present work we compare TiO 2 nanotube lift-off strategies for the construction of front-side illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Anodic nanotube layers were detached from the metallic back contact by using different techniques and transferred onto an FTO substrate. We show that if we use an optimized potential step treatment to fabricate membranes, DSSC cell efficiencies can be significantly increased (η > 8%).This improved efficiency is ascribed to higher specific dye-loading and enhanced electron transport properties of optimally fabricated TiO 2 nanotube membranes.
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